Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Boundary Art in the Middle of a Desert Metropolis

Papago Park is a strange and wonderful place, an island of desert landscape in the middle of a vast metropolis covered in cement and filled with cars and people. And yet, here's this park, which, along with a few other similar gems like the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and South Mountain, to name a couple, offers a brief but intense respite. This monument has always seemed to me more like a marker for the boundary between sprawl and almost-wild, rather than a border between two cities. During the daytime, it's calm, quiet, with hikers, families picnicking, the occasional cyclist w/ camera. But I have stayed a while after dark in this park on many nights, near the less-traveled parts, and I'll tell you: the coyotes come out here after dark, to chase the jackrabbits, and their yipping (tally ho old boy, the hunt is on) is chilling, but also very welcome. You're crossing a boundary here. It's not a true boundary, but more like a model boundary, a reminder of what is real, and out there. Love it. Get up. Go ride.

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Let's Just Ride

I commute by bicycle in Phoenix, Arizona, a metropolis suited to riding bicycles of all types, with weather, mountains, roads, canals, and paths to keep me forever spinning. My favorite bike tools are an open mind, creative engagement, curiosity, compassion, common ground, and the search for knowledge.

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